Chapter 3 Alliance
Elena’s POV
The rain outside had slowed to a soft drizzle, but the storm inside me raged on. I lay in the hospital bed, hands clutching the thin blanket around me, staring at the pale ceiling. Twins. Pregnant. Betrayed by the one man I had loved more than my own life—Daniel. And Mandy… my so-called best friend, my sister-in-heart, now nothing but a memory soaked in deceit.
Adrian Blake’s words kept replaying in my mind. “Marry me. Help me destroy him, and I’ll make you whole again.”
I swallowed hard, my throat painfully dry. Could I trust him? He was dangerous—everyone said that. Cold. Ruthless. A man who built empires by crushing anyone in his path. He was Daniel’s rival. But… the look in his eyes last night, the way he understood my pain without knowing me, had sparked something deep—a burning ember I didn’t know existed.
My thoughts drifted to Daniel. The man I had given everything to, trusted with everything, now felt like a stranger. I remembered the sharpness of his words, the cruelty in his tone as he called me worthless, barren, a failure. I remembered Mandy’s laughter, casual and venomous. Every memory scorched through me, hot and relentless, leaving nothing but ashes.
I clenched my fists. I wouldn’t cry. Not anymore. Not for them. Not for Daniel. Not for the betrayal I had swallowed for years. My chest ached, but underneath the pain, something else stirred—clarity. A sharp, unyielding hunger for justice.
Adrian’s presence had offered a path to that justice. But at what cost? Marry him… tie myself to him… use him as a weapon. Could I become someone else—someone strong, untouchable—while carrying the lives of my children?
The door opened with a soft click. My heart jumped. For a second I feared it was Daniel or Mandy. But it wasn’t.
Adrian stepped inside, his presence swallowing the room whole—calm yet commanding. Even under harsh hospital lights, he looked carved from shadow.
“You’re awake,” he said, voice low and deliberate. “How are you feeling?”
“Alive,” I rasped. “Confused. Betrayed. And furious.” My voice cracked, but he didn’t flinch. He studied me with dark, unwavering eyes.
“Good,” he said, as if my rage pleased him. “Fury is a weapon, Elena. And right now, it’s the only one you have.”
A bitter laugh slipped from my lips. “A weapon? My life is ruined. I’ve lost everything. And you expect me to take it further—to marry you, to plot revenge?”
“Yes,” he said simply. “Because there’s power in knowing what they did to you. And even more in making them realize it.”
The room seemed to shrink around us, the air thick with something dangerous. My life was shattered, yet for the first time, a spark of possibility flickered inside me.
“I don’t know if I’m ready…” I whispered.
He smirked, just slightly, disappointment flashing in his eyes. “Fine. You know where to find me, Mrs. Carter.” He placed a card beside the bed, brushing my hand lightly. A strange tingle shot through me as his fingers slid over my skin. He smiled—like he knew exactly what he did—then walked away.
I was discharged three days later.
The doctors said I was lucky to be alive, but some days, I wasn’t sure. The accident left me bruised, stitched, and wrapped in a silence that felt heavier than the bandages. Neither Daniel nor Mandy reached out—not a call, not a message. Not even a simple Are you alive?
I told myself I didn’t care, but deep down, it burned.
When I left the hospital, I went straight to the house I once called home. I just wanted to pack my things quietly and disappear. But when I reached the gate, the security guard stepped in front of me.
“What’s the meaning of this nonsense?” I snapped.
He cleared his throat nervously. “There’s… a restraining order against you, ma’am.”
I blinked, convinced I heard wrong. “What?”
He handed me a folded paper with my name on it.
“Mr. Carter’s instructions. You can’t go inside.”
My pulse thundered. “Call him. Call Daniel and tell him I need my things.”
For thirty humiliating minutes, I stood there trembling and ignored, until one of the housekeepers came out. “Madam, they said you can come in… but only to take your things.”
When I finally stepped inside the gate, I froze.
All my luggage—my clothes, my shoes, even my journals—were lined up outside the front door like garbage waiting for collection. And standing proudly in front of them were Daniel and Mandy, holding hands like the perfect couple, the same people who had torn my world apart.
Mandy tilted her head, her expression dripping false pity.
“I’m so sorry, Elena,” she said. “You always loved the spotlight, didn’t you? How does it feel to have it snatched away?”
I clenched my fists. Every word she spoke made my skin crawl. I wanted to slap her, wipe that smug smile from her face.
But I didn’t. I stood there silently as the ache in my chest grew heavier.
Then Daniel laughed. “Thank you for building my family for me,” he said proudly.
A paper fluttered onto my feet.
“The divorce papers. Sign them when you’re done. You know how to send them back.” He lifted Mandy as she squealed with delight.
I watched them walk away. Tears blurred my vision, but I refused to let them fall. My house, my name, my company—everything was gone. I had given it blindly for love. I wiped my eyes and picked up the papers.
That was the moment something in me snapped.
By evening, I was in Adrian’s office.
He had called earlier, insisting we meet. His tone had been calm but commanding—the kind of voice people obeyed. Revenge had begun to feel like the only thing keeping me alive.
“We don’t start immediately,” he said. “If we move too soon, Daniel will suspect. He’s cunning. We must strike when he least expects it.”
He was right.
I nodded slowly. “You’re right.”
Adrian’s eyes softened—barely.
“You’re pregnant, Elena. With twins.”
The words still stabbed through me. Carrying the children of a man who betrayed me felt like a curse I hadn’t asked for.
“I know,” I whispered. “And I almost lost my life because of him and that woman.”
Adrian leaned back, jaw tightening. His office was sleek, intimidating—black marble floors, glass walls, the scent of expensive cologne lingering in the air. Sitting across from him, I felt small… but strangely safe.
He had visited every single day while I was unconscious.
He brought flowers I didn’t ask for and sat quietly by my bed. He didn’t comfort me. He didn’t pity me.
He just stayed.
I hated that it made me feel seen—something Daniel never managed in five years.
I glanced down at my outfit—black skinny jeans and a fitted blue top. I hadn’t dressed to impress, but the way Adrian’s gaze lingered made my stomach tighten.
I stood, pretending not to notice. “If we’re done, I’ll leave.”
He smirked. “What a waist you have there, Mrs. Carter.”
Heat shot through me.
“First, don’t call me Carter. Second, don’t make comments like that while we’re working.”
He chuckled softly—confident, unbothered. “Relax. Just an observation.”
He opened a locked cabinet, pulled out a thick white envelope, and set it between us.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“The contract,” he said.
“What contract?”
“For what we’re about to do.”
I hesitated. “Just tell me what’s in it.”
“You’ll still read and sign it. But here’s the summary.”
His voice dropped lower.
“Rule one: no secrets.”
I swallowed. He already saw more of me than I wanted him to.
“Rule two: no falling in love.”
That one nearly made me laugh.
“Trust me. That won’t be a problem.”
“Rule three: no intimacy. Rule four: no backing down. No third parties unless necessary.”
I let out a small laugh. “You’re taking this too seriously.”
“I take revenge seriously,” he said coldly. “Especially against someone who deserves it.”
I picked up the pen.
“Fine,” I whispered. “Let’s play.”
Adrian’s lips curved into a slow, knowing smile.
“Good.”
I signed my name—Elena Maddie Jonas—for the last time.
As I set the pen down, he leaned forward.
“Then it’s official.”
I met his gaze.
“Daniel Carter,” I said, venom dripping, “watch how I tear you down.”
Adrian’s smirk deepened.
“Now that,” he murmured,
“is the woman I’ve been waiting to see.”
And for the first time in weeks, I felt something other than pain.
Not peace.
Power.
